Questions in Halfmoon

“State Supreme Court Justice Robert J. Chauvin, who was a town attorney in Halfmoon for 25 years until 2011, took steps to conceal his financial interests in numerous large housing developments by recruiting a close friend as the “public face” of the projects in exchange for a share of the profits.”

That’s the opening sentence from a shocking story written by investigative reporter Brendan Lyons. The information and allegations originated from court papers. The story was published Sunday in print editions of the Times Union. A former friend of Chauvin says an arrangement to conceal Chauvin’s interests began in the 1990s, when now-state Sen. Kathleen Marchione (R-Halfmoon) served as town supervisor.

On Tuesday, Todd Kerner, chairman of the Saratoga County Democratic Committee, released a scathing statement onFacebook, saying authorities should investigate past business dealings in the town:

“Can it be any clearer that the Town of Halfmoon (Saratoga County’s 2nd biggest municipality) is in desperate need of investigation by criminal authorities? This is yet the latest in a series of scandals involving the all-Republican controlled town. Will District Attorney Murphy appoint a special prosecutor to look into what occurred in Halfmoon?…We request he does. A message must be sent to all municipal officials that public corruption in our county will not be tolerated.”

Halfmoon is one of the fastest growing municipalities in the state. As its population has grown, so has its political clout. Marchione left her job as county clerk and won a the state Senate seat last year. Republican Craig Hayner, a Halfmoon town councilman, should become county clerk in January, as he is running unopposed for the job. Earlier this year, Saratoga County Republicans tried to hire a 22-year-old daughter of a prominent Halfmoon developer to direct the county animal shelter, but the effort fell just short of votes. As we reportedWednesday, GOP county sheriff candidate Michael Zurlo recently accepted thousands in campaign contributions from Halfmoon donors, according to the state Board of Elections.

Earlier this year, Halfmoon Republicans overlooked incumbent Supervisor Melinda Wormuth to endorse attorney Kevin Tollisen for supervisor. He is running unopposed, but Democrats are challenging for two town council seats in the fall.

What do you think of Brendan’s story, the Democrats’ reaction and Halfmoon’s new clout in the county?

I too was shocked by the TU story. It seemed thoroughly researched and was very well written. Kerner’s statement makes it seem like a Democrat vs Republican issue, but honest governance should not be a partisan matter. Does the fact Chauvin is a state Supreme Court Justice put him beyond the law? Or can he be indicted for past crimes. I certainly would like to see this aired out further.

Regarding whether or not Murphy uses a special prosecutor, it seems he should, and it also seems he should be sure to stay clear of his usual choice of Warren County. That’s where Chauvin’s handpicked assistant, Richard Wendling, worked as an ADA before moving up when Chauvin was elected to the State Supreme Court.

Chauvins son now works for front page Saratogian advertiser Ianniello & Anderson. That means Babs wont be covering the story, lets hope Dennis and the TU keep us up to date. There’s a link above to his bio there, which says that he was involved in zoning and property law when he was in Halfmoon.